The sun rose in the east and set in the west, casting long shadows along the edge of the western wall of the island fortress. This scene—so familiar—was something Xu Zihuang had seen countless times over the past three years.
He was like livestock raised in captivity, imprisoned on this island.
The sea breeze had already cooled the once-fragrant red tea in the porcelain cup beside him.
A soldier stationed at the door walked briskly over, head bowed, and silently took the teapot from the table, preparing to brew a fresh pot.
Xu Zihuang waved his hand disinterestedly.
"No need. You may go."
"Yes, Your Highness."
The soldier respectfully backed away. After exchanging a glance with the other guard at the door, both returned to their posts, standing straight on either side.
Haixiao didn't restrict his movements directly, but he always had someone watching.
Xu Zihuang knew this was most likely the doing of his cousin, Xu Tianran, so he didn't bother with any futile attempts at resistance.
Setting down the porcelain cup, he looked pensively toward the eastern port.
His martial soul, the Golden Eye, gave him extraordinarily strong spiritual power, along with heightened senses. From the sounds coming from the port, he deduced that the ship Haixiao had mentioned—carrying a hundred noble ladies—had arrived.
Before long, a calm, rhythmic knock sounded at the door. Xu Zihuang turned knowingly—just as expected, it was Haixiao, the commander of the Western Sea Soul Engineer Regiment.
"Your Highness, the Imperial ship has arrived. Are you ready to—"
"I'll go now," Xu Zihuang interrupted before Haixiao could finish. "Commander Haixiao, go make the preparations."
Given his current situation, what difference did it make whether he chose now or later? Was it for the sake of dignity?
Even his life was in someone else's hands.
The rose-gold sun disappeared beneath the ocean horizon, and nightfall gradually blanketed the vast sea.
The soul lamp in the room had already been lit by a soldier outside. Xu Zihuang remained seated by the window, one hand supporting his chin as he gazed out. His luminous violet eyes sparkled with a noble brilliance that stirred the soul.
The soldier who had just lit the lamp suddenly felt a chill in his heart and looked uncertainly in Xu Zihuang's direction.
For a brief moment, he had sensed a deadly aura from this prince.
But he quickly shook it off, scolding himself for overthinking, and quietly exited the room.
---
A silver moon hung high in the night sky, casting a blurred reflection on the surface of the sea.
This was an unknown region of the western seas, beyond the Sun Moon Empire's borders.
Suddenly, a dark shadow burst from the water, spraying waves high into the air and shattering the moon's reflection.
The figure had a bizarre form: its upper body was human, but the lower half was a wide tail fin. Its dark skin glistened with a metallic sheen. Most striking of all, a giant spiral horn jutted from its forehead—over three meters long.
"Fourth soul skill—Tidal Surge!"
A low cry rang out, and the fourth soul ring around the figure flared brightly. Dense, sky-blue soul power surged around his body, and a clear, ethereal whale song echoed across the sea.
Behind him, a translucent projection of a horned whale began to condense, becoming nearly solid before charging forward with thunderous force.
But in front of him, a flash of black and purple streaked across the surface—and in the next moment, a massive, ferocious creature appeared.
The beast's body was covered in black-violet scales. Even the part exposed above the water was more than ten meters long. Its chilling purple eyes glowed like lanterns, and its jagged fangs were still stained with fresh blood.
"Sssssss!" The sea serpent let out a piercing screech, and the previously calm sea grew restless. Its thick tail, also covered in dark scales, surged from the water to meet the horned whale head-on.
The spirit whale phantom, nearly twenty meters long, was instantly shattered by that monstrous tail.
Spray from the impact rained down on the sea with crisp splashes.
Bathed in moonlight, the dark figure's expression was grim and cold.
He appeared to be a rugged middle-aged man in his forties. His monstrous form came from invoking his martial soul—this was a Beast Soul Master's Soul Possession.
His body was bloodied, with numerous blurred wounds visible even at a glance.
"Damn it... Why is there a twenty-thousand-year sea viper here?" he cursed, a cruel gleam flashing in his sharp eyes.
"Since I've made it this far, I don't need to worry about alerting the two soul engineer regiments from the Sun Moon Empire."
He was ready to make a desperate stand.
Though only at 64th rank soul power, his martial soul—the Black-Patterned Horned Whale—was a formidable one. At full strength, he wouldn't fear a sea viper with 20,000 years of cultivation. But now, heavily wounded and with less than half his usual soul power, his chances were slim.
Still, he had no choice. He couldn't run much farther.
He had to survive—to deliver the critical intelligence about the young master's location.
A metallic clatter echoed as thick black cannon barrels emerged from his shoulders. Smaller ones extended from his arms.
He wasn't just a Soul Emperor—he was also a powerful Level 6 Soul Engineer. Until now, he hadn't used his soul tools to conserve energy while escaping.
Blinding white light flared from the barrels, ready to unleash a barrage upon the sea viper.
But before he could fire, a deep tiger's roar pierced the heavens. A massive black-winged tiger, even larger than the sea viper, hovered in front of the silver moon.
Two yellow, two purple, and four black soul rings glowed around its body. The seventh ring—black—shimmered with chilling light.
A Soul Douluo, using his Martial Soul True Body.
The Blackwing Tiger's fur was dark purple-red with black stripes. Willow-leaf patterns in gray and white ran from head to tail. It had a powerful, lean frame, and its face bore faint spots.
Its immense wings stirred the air, and in a blink, it appeared before the sea viper. Its jet-black claws swung, slicing through space itself. Even the man watching felt the sting on his skin.
"Boom!" Segments of the viper's massive body slammed into the sea, staining the water blood-red.
A deep glow coalesced over the remains—a powerful, thousand-year sea beast had fallen.
Seeing the tiger, exuding its terrifying aura, the man finally relaxed and said with relief:
"Commander, I've confirmed the young master's location."
The soul power light around the Blackwing Tiger faded, and it transformed into an older man in his fifties. Though not tall, he radiated a fierce and intimidating presence. His body was clad in deep purple armor with dragon patterns. Three long claw scars ran across his right eye, and his tiger-like gaze was filled with pressure.
Hearing the report, the commander's eyes flickered with surprise, but he quickly composed himself, fixing the man with a cold stare.
"This was your first unauthorized move—and it will be your last."
The man retracted his martial soul, his face turning pale.
"Yes, Commander."
Floating in mid-air, the old man waved his hand. The wounded man was dragged backward by overwhelming soul power.
Then, a strange scene unfolded.
What had seemed to be an empty sea revealed a massive warship over a hundred meters long. Its hull was wrapped in mysterious metal, and rows of soul cannons lined its sides, gleaming under the moonlight.
On the deck stood forty to fifty soldiers in the same purple dragon-scale armor. Their presence exuded a sharp, disciplined aura.
The man crashed onto the deck, wincing as his wounds flared.
The old man followed, landing lightly. The soldiers, having overheard the conversation, looked at him with burning anticipation.
Sure enough, he swept his gaze across them, then spoke in a cold, firm voice:
"Imperial Dragon Soul Engineer Regiment—rest for two hours, then follow me to rescue the young master!"
The emotions in the soldiers' eyes ignited at last. In unison, they dropped to one knee, fists pressed firmly to their chests.
"Yes, Commander!"
The Imperial Dragon Soul Engineer Regiment was one of five elite regiments directly under the Sun Moon Empire, known as the "Hand of the Nation." Only the Royal Soul Engineer Regiment surpassed it.
Every commander in its history had been a member of the imperial family. The previous commander—was Xu Zihuang
's father.
And the man before them now was Wang Xiao, once the vice-commander of the Imperial Dragon Soul Engineer Regiment.
(End of Chapter)
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